


Restless Nights

by GaHoolianGirl



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Elise and Xander are dead, Gen, I didn't tag Major Character Death because no one dies in-fic but it's post BR, Late at Night, Niles is in it for like four lines it's a Leo solo piece, Post-Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright, Sad, which means
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-30 05:12:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10869813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaHoolianGirl/pseuds/GaHoolianGirl
Summary: Leo snapped the book in his hands shut, pinching the bridge of his nose. The candle on the bedside table was burning dangerously low, yet he was no closer to sleep than he was when he lit it several hours ago.It was an open secret what kept the young king up so late.Elise and Xander were dead . Camilla had left the castle.He was all alone now.





	Restless Nights

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this like suuuper late last night, so please be kind. I have so many feelings for post BR...

Leo snapped the book in his hands shut, pinching the bridge of his nose. The candle on the bedside table was burning dangerously low, yet he was no closer to sleep than he was when he lit it several hours ago.

Sleepless nights like these were commonplace for him as of late. There were a number of reasons why; too much on his mind, work... those were the excuses he usually gave, but it was an open secret what really kept the young king up so late.

Dreams.

Of a family, once a whole, now disparate.

Elise and Xander were _dead_. Camilla had left the castle.

He was all alone now.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, tugging on the housecoat which was flung over the chair to his right. He doused the stub of a candle, replacing it in the brass candle holder with a brand new stick, picked it up, and left the room

The moment he stepped out his door, he was alerted of a familiar, ever vigilant presence. Niles nodded towards him, leaning against the wall with crossed arms.

“Same time, same place, milord?’

“You’ll know where to find me,” Leo answered simply, giving his retainer the barest of acknowledgement. Sarcastically saluting him, Niles went back to looking straight ahead, behaving exactly if his lord rested soundly in his bed.

Leo walked down the long, dark corridor leading to the castle’s inner garden. In his father’s reign, no such thing existed, but one was installed by his order in memoriam of Nohr’s holiest martyr.

His bare feet were getting cold, and his exhausted body begged for sleep, but he marched on with dogged determination. By the time he arrived at his destination, he felt ready to collapse, but managed to force himself to walk to the central flower bed, which was populated entirely by a rare breed of wildflower that grew in the dark. The climate in Nohr remained barely hospitable to plant growth, but there was resilient fauna that could survive and bloom.

(Just like she did.)

Blowing out the candle so he was only illuminated by faint moonlight, he sat on the ornate bench placed for optimal viewing pleasure, which rarely had any occupants beside himself. At its inception the garden was meant for public consumption, but it was soon replaced by a much larger one in the capital outside the castle, and this one unofficially became for the king’s personal use.

“I’m here again, Elise,” Leo said quietly, “I keep coming back. It’s foolish. I should be sleeping, really.”

The flowers said nothing in return.

“Do you like this garden? I built it with your tastes in mind. Of course you’d like more color, but only so much can grow here, you know. You would have pestered me into finding some way with magic...I would have said I couldn’t, but found a way regardless. Because I couldn’t bear to see you not smiling.”

He placed his head in his hands, “You were all we had. Corrin left, Father got worse...you were the only one of us left who had it in them to smile. We needed you to. And now, you’re gone.”

Sitting up, he tossed his head back with a shuddering intake of breath, “Corrin’s in Hoshido. Camilla left. Xander’s dead. You’re dead. It’s just me. Just King Leo. The unpopular king who’s changing our way of life for the sake of peace. They hate me because they don’t understand, _can’t_ understand! I just want to make you all proud!”

Tears fell down his cheeks, warm against his skin in the cold night air.

“I just want you all to be proud of me. I’m not as steadfast as Xander was, not as understanding as Camilla, nor as optimistic as you. I’m not fit to be a king. Not of anything.”

A breeze blew by, rustling the leaves and petals that surrounded him.

“But I’m trying. For you. I’ll make Nohr a peaceful nation before I die, so your death meant something. So all that death meant something.” Standing, he brushed himself off, picking up the candle holder.

“I can’t stay out here forever. Goodnight.”

No less eager to shut his eyes, he made his way back to his room, relighting the candle by a wall torch, lit for servant’s usage. Niles didn’t acknowledge him, something Leo felt eternally grateful for. No light streamed in from his window, though in Nohr that was no indication of what the time was. He climbed back into bed, haphazardly throwing the housecoat back to it’s original position beside his bed.

His book lay where he left it, not fully shut as there were too many bends at the corners from his hasty attempts to keep his place. He reopened it, somewhat startled by the pressed flower that fell into his lap, the same variety as in the garden. After twirling it in his fingers for a moment, he rested it against the inner spine and turned the page to keep it in place.

He was going to have enough trouble sleeping as it is, he didn’t need to see her favorite flower.

Forcing himself to pay attention to words he’d long had memorized, he pretended to read until his candle was nothing but a puddle of wax.•

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing Leo, so he may be rocky.


End file.
